WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Raya and the Last Dragon Threepeats at No. 1, The Courier Debuts Softly in 3rd as Specialty Titles Receive Boost from Los Angeles Reopenings

With the reopening of Los Angeles-area theaters last week and millions more Americans receiving (and becoming eligible for) the vaccine across the U.S., the theatrical marketplace showed signs of continued growth this weekend despite just one major studio release hitting theaters. Keeping its first place standing for the third weekend in a row was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, which dipped just 5% to an estimated $5.2 million from 2,261 locations for a domestic total of $23.4 million to date.

Holding firm in second place, Warner Bros.’ Tom & Jerry also held fantastically well, falling just 7% to an estimated $3.84 million and bringing the live-action/animation hybrid to $33.69 million through the end of its fourth weekend. Notably, Los Angeles was the top DMA market for the film over the three-day period.

The sole major new release of the weekend, Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate’s Cold War spy thriller The Courier, opened on 1,433 screens and grossed an estimated $2.01 million, good enough for third place in the rankings but a fairly soft result overall. The Benedict Cumberbatch-Rachel Brosnahan title benefitted from a solid 84% “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, while it has also played well with audiences, boasting Post-Trak exit scores of 82% positive and 62% Definite Recommend. The studios report it played particularly well in markets such as Salt Lake City, Orlando and Dallas.

Finishing in fourth place in its third weekend was Lionsgate’s Chaos Walking, which grossed an estimated $1.93 million from 2,132 locations, a dip of just 14%. The Daisy Ridley-Tom Holland sci-fi now has $9.69 million to date.

The Croods: A New Age hung tight in the top 5 with an estimated $620,000 in its 17^th weekend from 1,411 theaters, an increase of 15% over last weekend’s total. The Universal/Dreamworks Animation release has $55.24 million so far.

Specialty titles, which tend to play best with audiences on the coasts, received perhaps the most significant boost from the reopening of Los Angeles-area theaters last week. Focus Features’ Promising Young Woman, which added 334 theaters after the film scored five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, grossed an estimated $195,000, a 117% increase over last weekend. Los Angeles and New York contributed nearly 30% of the three-day gross combined for the film, which now has $5.7 million in the bank through the end of its 13^th weekend.

The same pattern held true for Focus’ Boogie, which took in an estimated $600,000 from 1,184 theaters (a 23% drop), over 30% of which came from Los Angeles and New York-area cinemas. The Eddie Huang sports drama finished at No. 6 for the weekend and now has a total of $3.26 million through the end of its third weekend.

Sony Pictures Classics’ The Father also held well, dropping 26% to an estimated $322,000 from 933 theaters. The total for the Best Picture contender stands at $970k after four weeks.

Another Academy Awards contender, Judas and the Black Messiah, also rose on the strength of its multiple Oscar nominations, gaining 53% over last weekend’s total with an estimated $250,000 in its sixth weekend of release. The total for the Warner Bros. release is now $5.02 million.

Lastly, Minari – another multiple Oscar nominee and Best Picture contender – added more than 500 screens and took in an estimated $306,000, bringing the total for the A24 drama to $1.4 million through the end of its sixth weekend.

OVERSEAS

Raya and the Last Dragon grossed an estimated $8 million from 29 overseas territories, including increases in markets such as Singapore (+30%), Spain (+23%) and Australia (+1%). The international total for the Disney title is now $47.8 million and the global tally is $71.2 million.

Tom & Jerry took in an estimated $4 million from 41 markets, including new openings in Japan ($1.7 million) and Saudi Arabia ($804,000). The Warner Bros. release now has $43.5 million internationally and $77.2 million worldwide.

Avatar grossed an estimated $14.1 million in China in the second weekend of its re-release there, with $4.1 million of that total coming from IMAX screens. Notably, the James Cameron blockbuster has now become the only film in IMAX history to gross over $250 million in the format, with a lifetime total of $256 million from IMAX screens. The film opened to an estimated $21.2 million in the country last weekend and has $44 million to date. The lifetime international gross for the film, which recently took back the all-time global box office crown from Avengers: Endgame, stands at $2.0732 billion, while its global lifetime cume is $2.8337 billion.

Launching in four overseas markets ahead of its North American release next weekend, Universal’s Bob Odenkirk action film Nobody took in an estimated $2.64 million, including $1.25 million in Russia.

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates

March 19-21, 2021